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Home , Lake Huron, Lake Michigan

STATE OF THE GREAT 2005

WHAT ARE THE CURRENT PRESSURES IMPACTING HURON? Chemical contamination, non-native , habitat loss, poor coastal health, and aquatic food web changes are the greatest threats to the ecosystem. Pressures Chemical contamination Contaminants enter Lake Huron through a variety of pathways including industrial and municipal Lake Huron discharges, land runoff, atmospheric deposition, and Lake contaminated sediments. Lake Huron has relatively few local contaminant point sources but has a large Lake surface area which makes it vulnerable to atmospheric deposition of contaminants. Contaminant levels in fish and wildlife have decreased substantially since the 1970s and and hydroelectric facilities in the 1800s, however, populations of most fish-eating birds have recovered; excluded fish from many historical spawning sites. however, fish consumption advisories for PCBs still For lake sturgeon, , and other exist for the open lake and for all Areas of Concern river spawning fish, stream fragmentation reduces (AOCs) in Lake Huron. natural reproduction and increases dependence on fish stocking. Water level fluctuation patterns also Non-native invasive species alter nearshore habitat. Although residential land use The recent invasion of zebra and quagga mussels, comprises a small percentage of total land use in the round goby, spiny water flea, white perch and ruffe Lake Huron region, much rural development has threaten the diversity and abundance of native occurred along the shoreline. In the past 20 years species and the ecological stability of Lake Huron. there has been increasing development pressure for Abundance of Diporeia, a key prey item in the diet of cottages and year-round residential development, whitefish and other sport and commercial fish which poses a threat to nearshore habitats. species, has drastically declined in Lake Huron, possibly due to competition with non-native invasive Coastal health species. The invasive remains prevalent For many years, elevated levels of E. coli bacteria have in Lake Huron, but intensive control efforts in the St. caused numerous postings of Lake Huron beaches as Mary's River (the largest source of sea lampreys in unsafe for swimming. Multi-jurisdictional efforts are the ) since 1999 have reduced the impacts of sea lamprey predation on salmon and . Photo: Upper Thames River Conservation Authority Habitat loss The Lake Huron watershed, to about 2.5 million people, has relatively low human population densities. As a result, Lake Huron retains much of its historic fish and wildlife habitat. Historically, Lake Huron was connected to a diverse array of stream and inland lake tributaries that provided spawning habitats for many fish species. Construction of dams Fathom Five National Park, . Photo: Environment Canada. LAKE HURON PRESSURES underway to identify significant sources and form the core of the Partnership by providing encourage land-owner best management practices to leadership and coordination. However, a flexible reduce bacteria levels and the risk to human health. membership is being promoted which is inclusive of Also, as in Lakes Erie and Ontario, outbreaks of Type other agencies and levels of government, Tribes/First E botuism bacterium have killed thousands of fish Nations, non-government organizations and the and waterbirds in Lake Huron, which wash up on public on an issue-by-issue basis. area beaches. The sources of this bacterium and causes of the outbreaks are being studied. In 1987, four AOCs were identified within the Lake Huron watershed, as well as the St. Marys River. Aquatic food web Collingwood Harbour and Severn Sound in Canada Lake trout, burbot, and walleye were the original were delisted in 1994 and 2003, respectively. main fish predators in Lake Huron. Lake herring, Monitoring is ongoing in these areas to ensure that species, sculpins, lake trout and round environmental quality is maintained. The remaining whitefish comprised the historic prey base. Today, AOCs (/Bay, Michigan and Spanish stocked chinook salmon is the dominant predator in Harbour, Ontario) are being addressed through on- the lake, primarily feeding on the dominant, non- going programs. At the Spanish Harbour AOC, all native and prey fish. Since the 1960s, recommended actions were completed and in 1999, chinook salmon and lake trout have been stocked in the area was the first in the Great Lakes to be the Great Lakes to create sport fisheries and to reduce recognized as an Area in Recovery. the huge populations of alewife and smelt. The current ecosystem now contains more predators than Actions Needed prey species, and is at risk of becoming unstable. ! Support for local efforts that protect areas of While markedly different from historical fish high-biodiversity from future degradation communities, fish management efforts have resulted ! Continued strong domestic programs to restore in a much improved fish community than was and protect tributary and nearshore health present 30 to 40 years ago. Drastic changes in the ! Continued support for the Great Lakes Fishery Lake Huron fish community were noted in 2004: Commission’s binational approach to address while had huge year classes of walleye recent changes in the open water food web and , the open water fishery is suffering ! Support for the restoration of the remaining from the collapse of alewife and major declines of Areas of Concern Diporeia in the Main Basin and . ! Demonstration projects to restore the connectivity of tributaries with the open water, Current Actions such as dam removal and/or fish passageways In 2002, the Binational Executive Committee, a forum of executive-level representatives of U.S. and To Learn More Canadian natural resource management and For further information related to the state of Lake environmental protection agencies, chaired by U.S Huron, refer to the State of the Great Lakes 2005 EPA and Environment Canada formally endorsed the report, which, along with other Great Lakes formation of a Lake Huron Binational Partnership in references, can be accessed at order to coordinate environmental activities in the www.epa.gov/glnpo/solec. The 2004 Lake Huron Lake Huron basin. The U.S. EPA, Environment Binational Partnership Action Plan can be accessed at Canada, Michigan's Departments of Environmental http://cfpub.binational.net/ontario/intro-e.cfm. Quality and Natural Resources, and Ontario's Ministries of Environment and Natural Resources

02/06 EPA 905-F-06-914 IISG-06-07